SPECS OPTICAL » lyle jackson

Rocky Horror Show

Specs Optical — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:20:35 +0000

The Lab Theater opened ‘Rocky Horror Show’ September 15th, featuring Don Shelby and costumes by Tulle and Dye (Ellen Roeder and Lyle Jackson). I have seen many of the wigs, shoes and costumes including Rocky’s little gold lame speedo. Lyle did some of the actors actual hair at the salon we work at, Terrace Hair Neon Beach. Saturday the 17th Sabrina and I went to it. What fun. The singing and costumes were great, and the speedo looked better on the actor. Brad (Reid Harmsen) and Janet (Erin Capel0) are very good. Go see it. It runs until October 31st.

Steven

Specs Optical

IVEY AWARDS

Specs Optical — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 22:21:05 +0000

I went to the ‘Ivey Awards’, Minnesota’s version of the Tony Awards, this September. On and off of the red carpet, I saw many faces I recognized from SPECS OPTICAL. I stayed off the red carpet (my luck is I would slip, trip and fall.) Many of our eyeglasses were seen as well. I saw Kirk Originals, Rapp Limited, Francis Klein and Lindberg, all on people dressed to the nines for the awards show. The room was filled with tons of local celebrities, and celebrity watchers. I hope to see the pics in the local magazines!

Lyle and I went, prompted by his friends James Rocco and Jeff Scott, and we had free tickets (LOL). I’m glad I dressed up, because Lyle Jackson and his business partner Ellen Roeder of TULLE and DYE received the first award of the evening. The costumes they designed for the Ordway’s Beauty and the Beast were ‘beautiful’, ‘dazzling’, ‘amazing’. My personal favorite from the show was the cheese grater they designed and built. We were both surprised, shocked, and very happy.

Thanks for the surprise Jamie and Jeff!

Steven

p.s. I hope to add pics!

hand made, full page, on the stage

Specs Optical — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:39:37 +0000

Lyle Jackson and Ellen Roeder of Tulle and Dye, as seen in the Star Tribune. Article by Kim Ode photo by Tom Wallace.

This caption from the article celebrates people still doing custom hand made goods. Lyle is connected to SPECS OPTICAL in oh, so many ways. Tulle and Dye’s work has been out there, notably for several years in the form of the costumes for Daytons/Marshal Fields/Macy’s holiday displays, theater and dance in Minneapolis and New York, including James Sewall Ballet, Zenon Dance Company, and Alvin Ailey. Tulle and Dye also did the costuming for Grey Gardens and Rocky Horror Show for the McKnight Theater, and you can see their work in “Beauty and the Beast” at the Ordway this December. OK… I have to brag, because I did a little teeny tiny part of a costume for the show. And…as one might guess…it is sparkly.

Lyle is wearing one of my favorite brands, Mel Rapp. Mel, a Toronto designer, also embraces the art of hand made crafts. Unlike the above tutu, it should not cause chafing!

It’s always exciting and humbling for us to see our work out there, like the cool Specs on Juliette, just up the street at the Terrace Hair Neon Beach and so many others in the neighborhood. It gives us goose bumps to see “hand made” thrive in the Twin Cities. In our small way, we try to emulate those same values here at SPECS OPTICAL .

Carry on friends!

Steven